Kalay

Kalay (Burmese: ကလေး), also known as Kale, is one of the largest town in the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Myittha River, a tributary of the Chindwin River. The town is the district headquarters of the Kalay District. It has gained importance with trans border movement enabled between Myanmar and India following the 165 kilometres (103 mi) Tamu–Kalay section of India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway built by the Border Roads Organization of India under the Look-East Connectivity policy. Consequently, Kalay is now one of the fastest developing towns in Myanmar.

The earlier name of the town ‘Karlaymyo,’ renamed now as ‘Kalaymyo,’ means “a town surrounded by four satellite towns” in the Burmese language. "Kalaymyo" means "town of children" in Burmese.

According to tradition, Kalay was established as a town on 3 February 966 (Sunday, the 5th of waning of Tabodwe 328 ME). A votive tablet unearthed in Kalay in 1983, with a Mon language by ညောင်ဦး စောရဟန်း the first ruler was his son, the inscription, refers to the "Aniruddha, the Great King".

Kale was an independent Shan state between the 14th–16th centuries.

During the Second World War, Kalay was an important regrouping point for the British during their retreat from Burma in 1942 because of the relatively easier access to India along the Manipur River (the alternative was to march through malarial forests from Kalewa to Tamu).

On September 19, 2007, 200 monks marched through the streets of Kalay as a part of the 2007 Burmese anti-government protests. Over the next few days, the monks were joined by thousands of people of the Chin ethnic group. On September 24, students marched from Kalay University with posters and protested, demanding the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and two other political prisoners.

In July 2015, a monsoon rain triggered a natural disaster, and a state of emergency was declared in four regions of the country. The disaster caused a flash flood in Kalay and surrounding areas. Kalay was devastated by the disaster.

(He has one daughter Sao Thiri Mala born from Mahadewi Sao Hkam Long and one son Hso Hkaing Hpa and one daughter Sao Ke Youn born from Sao Hkam Loun, both his wives were Hso Hkawng Hpa's daughters, Hso Hkaing Hpa died of smallpox, and his two daughters married Hso Kert Hpa the son of Sao Hkun Mawng from Hsipaw)